Her face, soft as celestial clouds
pink cheeks, golden hair, ballerina torso
all marred within seconds.

One eve, she and her family flee the devil
their house in flames.
Yellow, orange, blue sparks
fling and surge toward the night sky.
Gray, acrid smoke smothers the family, the forest.

Her face turns to black ash
peeled and mottled skin
raw open wounds.

Their cottage, a rubble of charred wood
burnt clothes, furniture, torn photos, memorabilia
scatter like pieces of a puzzle.
A sole chimney stands

Kissed by a guardian's lips, they narrowly survive.
Scars everlasting.
Their lives like fragments of the shattered home.
Minds wander into hollowness.
Only remembrances cling.